Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) was killed when his Waco glider crashed near Blankenberge, Belgium, on 19 September 1944 (Operation Market Garden). Six men of the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion were also killed. Further details known (MACR 15324, 42-79442).


Still looking though for any info of (present) burial location of Capt. Brown. He was from Sioux City, Iowa.


Thanks & regards,


Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Leendert,

Found this:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...9/robert-brown


He was buried on 5/23/1949 in

Graceland Park Cemetery
Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA

(Listed in findagrave without his middle initial.)

MACR starts here: https://www.fold3.com/image/29427545

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Thanks, Rolland. Looked in 1944, but aparently under 1949...


Regards,


Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

I noticed that on 22 March 2019 surprisingly more info about Capt. Robert E. Brown was placed on findagrave.com, including a newspaper clipping with photo.

See https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...9/robert-brown

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

The additions to findagrave were made by me. Info edits were also suggested but the page manager has not yet updated.

Capt. Robert Elson Brown was born on 5 August 1916 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Place of death was suggested as:

Bruges, Arrondissement Brugge, West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium

Also added content to his parents findagrave memorials

Father
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...elson-s_-brown

Mother
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8413786/clara-brown

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Thanks, Scott. Waco came down just outside Blankenberge, at Uitkerke to be more specific.
A local initiative wants to place a small memorial sign where the accident happened, this in view of the commemoration of the liberation of the town later this year, 75 years ago.
Preparing so, some more info is sought about the pilot and the six artillery men (321st GFAB, 101st AB Div) who were killed. Pictures are most welcome.



Regards,


Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

The other six men killed

Vetter
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/.../john-j-vetter
https://www.abmc.gov/node/436551
Simmons
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...dillon-simmons
Sowell
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...liam-a_-sowell
Smith
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...t-howard-smith
Hutchins
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...aaron-hutchins
https://www.abmc.gov/node/420207
Szur
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...6/james-j-szur
https://www.abmc.gov/node/354924

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Thanks, Rolland, for interest. These links had already been forwarded to the people planning the memorial. Some 101 AB Div/321 GFAB websites also have their photos.

Meanwhile I've sent letters to WV to find a picture of Cpl. Simmons.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

The Capt. Robert Elson Brown, findagrave updates have been approved and included

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...rt-elson-brown

Have subsequently today request a death location edit suggestion to Blankenberge, Belgium to be more accurate as you suggested.

As to your subsequent request for data concerning the other troops killed in this crash it would have been helpful for you to post what was already known to you. Rolland expended time providing this data and detail for you, only to be told this data was already known to you.

A regrettable expenditure of research time lost for Rolland. In my opinion.

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Scott,


Post # 5 was rather an explanation as to why some further info is sought. May I refer to post # 1 where focus is on Capt. Robert E. Brown only. That's why I added "Further details known", perhaps not fully indicating that this also involved the other men. Regrets for my bad English here.



At this moment no picture was found yet of Cpl. Carroll D. Simmons. Three letters are out to newspapers in WV that brought the news of his death (1944) and reburial (1949).



Thanks for updates on findagrave.com, most helpful.



Regards,


Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

As a (final?) follow up of this post, the local commitee planning to place a memorial is looking for the birthday or at least birth year of PFC John. J. Vetter, ASN 32638178. He was one of the 321st GFAB victims of the Waco crash. He originated from Nassau County, NY.



At first glance his ASN is not in the NARA Enlistment Records. Ancestry has 'about 1921'.



Thanks for help.


Regards,


Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Leendert,

It seems 1921, New York (State) is as close as can be found. 1940 Census for the John Vetter family attached, see line 34. At this time John Jr is 19 years old.

This appears to mirror available data from the Field of Honor Database for this veteran

https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.c...-vetter-john-j

However according to the family 1920 Census before John Jr was born and after during the 1930 Census the family was living in Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. It is reasonable to believe that John Jr was born in Hempstead, New York.

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

I found a John Vetter born January 20, 1922 in Queens, NY which "may" be him but I can't really prove it. The actually birth certificate number is obscured on the listing I found. The certificate would have more information on the family.

NY census records show the family ( father John, Sr and mother Marie appear to have been living in Queens in that time period (a sister born around the same time was also born in Queens). The family then moved further out on Long Island. John went to high school in Freeport, NY.

His name appears in the Freeport listings of WWII war dead from time to time.

http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lcc...ed-1/seq-9.pdf

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Thanks for help.

Indeed, 1921 appears to be the closest or at least ‘safest’ estimate.

The Nassau Daily Review-Star of Oct. 20, 1944 reports Vetter’s death. Home address (or rather his parents) is given as 65 West End Avenue in Freeport, Long Island. He had entered the Army in Nov. 1942.
I gathered that Freeport is a village within the municipality of Hempstead, mentioned above.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Capt. Robert E. Brown (O-369825) - KIA 19 Sep 1944
 

Just to tell that on 11 October 2019 a memorial plaque will be dedicated to the men killed in the glider crash at Blankenberge.


Regards,


Leendert